1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to techniques for facilitating intelligent query operations. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for customizing search results for a user through a collaborative search procedure that employs “tribal knowledge” obtained from a group of like-minded individuals.
2. Related Art
In order to efficiently search through the vast amount of information that is available on the Internet, computer users typically rely on Internet search engines to identify desired information. When a user submits a query, the search engine returns a list of search results to the user, wherein the search results include links to the websites that best match the terms in the query. To perform an effective search, a user typically performs an iterative search process. With each iteration, the user further-refines the terms in the query to filter out the sites that do not match the user's immediate interests.
While the search results generated by search engines are often useful, they are typically not as trustworthy as recommendations provided by friends, acquaintances, or other peers of the user. Hence, there is presently a disconnect between techniques employed by search engines and the sharing of such “tribal knowledge” between peers.